Allie Wainer is the Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer of Sid Wainer & Son, New England’s premier curator and distributor of specialty produce and specialty foods, based in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
As the fourth generation of the over one hundred-year-old business, Allie Wainer holds an extraordinary passion for food and continues the family tradition of providing innovation and service excellence to the food industry.
Allie is a graduate from the School of Hospitality at Boston University and spent many years in the fine-dining restaurant industry before joining the family business. Allie sits on the United Fresh Produce Association Board of Directors and the Greater New Bedford Workforce Development Board. Additionally, she was named Food Service 40 under 40 by the Griffin Report and is dedicated to supporting local sustainable agriculture throughout New England.
Who are the entrepreneurs and visionaries behind the launch of the Wainer company? Can you share a little of their history?
My great-grandfather started Sid Wainer & Son in 1914. Back then, we were a small retail store that bought produce from local farms and markets and supplied the community with fresh product. My grandfather, Sid, took over the business after returning from World War II and continued to grow the business by developing a wholesale business. When my father, Henry Wainer, took over in the 1970s, he became the true visionary and entrepreneur that crafted the company we are today. He has always had an out-of-the-box, optimistic approach to life and the business and was not afraid to take risks. He recognized he could inspire chefs through sourcing unique product from around the world and providing ingredients that could not be found in the Northeast. My father also realized there was a gap in the supply chain between chefs and local farms and created a way for chefs to get local product to their back door. Thanks to my father, Sid Wainer & Son quickly became the primary source for high quality ingredients and fresh produce.
What role did Grandma and wives play in the creation and growth of the company?
Behind every great man there is a strong woman. We call my mom the CFO, the Chief Family Officer. She was never officially employed by Sid Wainer & Son but without her, we could not have grown the business to where it is today – 700 employees and operating in over 11 states. She has traveled the world with my father sourcing ingredients, building relationships with customers, all while holding down the fort and raising four children.
Has the target always been foodservice? Why not retail/grocery?
We are a company of chefs. Most of our sales team and purchasers are former chefs because we recognize that in order to deliver the service our customers need, we need to fully understand their world. While we have focused on foodservice for many years, in recent years we have started entering the retail space. Retail customers and home chefs are now demanding the same products used by top chefs. This has created a need for our specialty products and the Jansal Valley Brand.
Who was the target foodservice customer when you began? How has that target expanded?
Our target food service customer has always been any chef with a true passion for quality ingredients. Chefs who understand the heart and soul that goes into crafting quality product and the demands of growing and harvesting produce.
Among your customer base are some of the truly inspirational entrepreneurs of our industry. I suspect many are women. What are the common characteristics that you see in your customers that “get it”and are succeeding?
To be successful, you have to have a realistic and optimistic approach to business, not be afraid to take risks, understand your finances, know how to get your hands dirty, and do not let anything get in your way.
You made a big decision to join your family business. What attracted you to the opportunity?
I have always admired my father’s passion and dedication to our family business. Throughout my childhood, my parents told my siblings and I to follow our passions and it would lead to a successful and a happy career and life. I started working in restaurants and the hospitality space at fifteen-years-old and fell in love with the industry. The hospitality industry truly makes a difference by being a part of every big moment in a person’s life. So many experiences happen around a dinner table and to be able to impact those experiences is incredible. I always had an inkling that I would join the business and when I finally made the leap, I felt extremely grateful for the opportunity. I am now able to make an impact on a more global scale.
Tell us a little bit about life after hours.
Life is about balance and therefore I am an avid runner who loves to eat. Life after hours consists of long runs, dining at restaurants, cooking, reading and traveling with my husband. I am very fortunate to have a husband who supports my 24-7 connection into my family business.
What about your management style?
I am not afraid to admit that I don’t know everything. I am a big proponent of relying on the experts in my team to make decisions and educate me on how they came to their decision. We focus a lot on responsibility and accountability at Sid Wainer & Son. I would rather my team try and make a mistake than not try at all.
As you look at the channel of distribution model in our industry, does it still work? My read is manufacturer/processor, then broker, then distributor, and then end-user?
I believe there will always be a need for the human element in produce. It is such a perishable, delicate product that needs special care. There will come a time where distribution is done differently whether on drones or robots, but there will be some human touch to produce.
What role is e-commerce playing/going to play in distribution? Could a drone fly an order from New Bedford to the Boston Seaport in the near future?
E-commerce is definitely playing a part in distribution. The world has become a smaller place thanks to e-commerce. Chefs are able to source ingredients from all over the world and get it delivered right to their back door. Food is an emotional purchase which is where relationships become very important. E-commerce businesses that can play into the emotional aspect of food will win.
How has the role of the DSR-Rep evolved? It seems as if all we see are former chefs calling on end-user operators?
We have always hired former chefs onto our team to call on end-user operators. The food service business is all about relationships, education, and being able to trust the source of where your product is coming from. We focus on building relationships and trust with our customers in order to support their goals and visions.
Does that also mean that the chef’s role has changed? Are most/more in equity positions?
I would not say the chef’s role has changed but I would say the opportunities have changed. Chefs are now in respected and idolized positions in America. Consumers have a transparency of what “chef life” really is and our industry is changing as a result.
What is this new chef like to work with. In many cases with books/TV shows, they are more brand than functioning line chefs. How do you help them focus?
The new chef is mission driven. They have a deeper understanding of where product comes from and a more global view of food. Chefs hold their ingredients to higher standards – it’s not just about where it comes from but who it comes from and the story behind it. We have developed a network of chefs and are able to crowd source trends and get out in front of chefs’ needs.
Many top award winning chefs today are women. How has this industry broken the glass ceiling?
Some of the most talented chefs I know are women. Thanks to a number of strong female chefs, the industry has begun to shift towards gender equality but there is still a long way to go. Documentaries like “A Fine Line” demonstrate that less than 7% of head chefs and restaurant owners are women. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that only 20% of restaurant kitchens are run by women. The schedule, lack of maternity leave, and other protections that female chefs face, force many women to choose other careers. I do believe as the industry shifts lifestyles, so will these statistics and I can’t wait to see more female chefs take the spotlight.
All we have heard about is Farm/Local to table for the past 10 years. Let’s talk about the role of the Farmer in what our readers serve to their dining patrons.
We sure have heard a whole lot about farm to table this past decade, and this trend is here to stay. Chefs and foodies alike appreciate the transparency on ingredients and locality. It implies characteristics of quality & uniqueness and promotes confidence in the dining experience.
Farmers, like chefs, put their heart and hands into their passion. Farming is both cathartic & arduous. It is an everyday, hands-on, non-stop, dedicated operation. Last fall we put our boots on the ground and visited many of Sid Wainer’s cherished New England farm partners, producing a short film named “For the Love of the Land”. You can check it out on SidWainer.com. There was one common theme that we learned across all farms we visited; no matter what was grown from the Earth or plucked from the dirt by farmers, they all did it for the love of the land.
Sid Wainer is heavily committed to the farm community. Talk about how that evolved and why you think it is such a priority?
A world without farms, is a world without food, which is simply not an option. Every dollar spent on farms, is an investment into the future of our food and farming. Between climate change and increased costs, farmers are finding it increasingly more challenging to turn a profit. We work closely with local farms to plan out their crops that will generate a higher yield, demand, and profit. By educating consumers and chefs on the importance of farming, together, we can grow a more sustainable future for generations to come.
As you look in your crystal ball for 2020: What is on the agenda for your company?
Over the last six years, since I have officially been involved in Sid Wainer & Son, we have evolved as a company from people to processes and our ability to service our customers. We continue to enhance and grow our platform and look forward to a very fruitful 2020.
To learn more about Allie Wainer and Sid Wainer & Son, visit their website.
